Doctor Detroit

“I warn you, I’m a chiropractor! I will use my skills negatively!”

When Comparative Literature professor Clifford Skridlow woke up that morning (for his tight-shorted power walk), little did he know that by the time the night was through he would become the most feared pimp in Chicago.

(Man, that must have sounded GREAT in the pitch meeting!)

Dan Aykroyd (three years removed from The Blues Brothers and a month away from introducing us to Trading Places‘ Louis Winthorpe III) brought Skridlow (and the good Doctor) to life as only he could.

When pimp daddy extraordinaire Smooth Walker (Howard Hesseman) finds himself in big-time debt to ‘Mom’, he invents tough-guy ‘Doctor Detroit’ to help save his hide. The only problem? Finding someone who was stupid enough to actually BE Doctor Detroit. Alas, Professor Skridlow just happens to like the same Indian restaurant as Smooth… and after a night of debauchery (smoking weed, popping pills, hot-tubbing with hookers), he’s got no idea what he’s gotten himself into.

Eventually, though, Cliff (we can call him ‘Cliff’) begins to get into it, and before too long he’s raided his college’s theater department to put together an outfit for the ages. And Doctor Detroit is born.

With a cameo performance by James Brown (“Get Up Offa That Thing!”) and a cast including Donna Dixon (Aykroyd’s future wife), Fran Drescher, and the oh-so-80s T.K. (Shabu!) Carter, Doctor Detroit SHOULD have been a pretty solid hit.

Oops.

Not only did Doctor Detroit tank, its pitiful box office returns quickly squelched the real sequel (Doctor Detroit 2: The Wrath of Mom) that was promised in the closing credits.

But that’s why we’re here. No one may have liked Doctor Detroit in its day, but looking back now?